Temple's Griffin to play in AstroTurf NFLPA Bowl

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Temple DB Kee-ayre Griffin (East Orange, N.J.) has been selected to play in the inaugural AstroTurf NFLPA Collegiate Bowl on January 21, the NFL Players Association announced on Thursday.

The defensive back will be one of 100 draft-eligible players competing at The Home Depot Center on the campus of California State University Dominguez Hills in Carson, Calif.

Standout coaches, both active and former, will come together under the direction of Super Bowl-winning coaches Tom Flores and Dick Vermeil. The staffs will spend a week preparing the 100 draft-eligible players to showcase their talent on the NBC Sports Network and in front of 25,000 fans and scouts.

Griffin started 12 games at corner for the Owls in 2011. He finished the season with 49 tackles, three interceptions, two break-ups, and two blocked kicks. In his final game in the Cherry & White, Griffin returned an interception 30 yards in the win over Wyoming in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl.

Griffin joins fellow seniors OL Derek Dennis (Peekskill, N.Y.), DB Kevin Kroboth (Nazareth, Pa.), TE Evan Rodriguez (North Bergen, N.J.), and OL Wayne Tribue (York, Pa.) to participate in All-Star games this month.  Kroboth and Tribue will participate in the Casino Del Sol All-Star Game on January 16, while Dennis and Rodriguez will play in the East-West Shrine Game® on Jan. 21.